In a Wide World
by ArtisticFantasy
Summary: A direct continuation from the end of the manga/Brotherhood. Edward and Alphonse' after-journey's into the world outside Amestris.


It was both an exciting and daunting prospect. Alphonse was heading out into the world; a mostly unknown world. A new adventure, a new goal to be chased. He could hardly contain himself. While the two chimeras snoozed in the seats across from him, he was still wide awake staring at the stars and the passing scenery as the train sped toward the East.

Again he thought back to his brother, wondering how he was going and how far he had gone by now. He wouldn't have to worry what about what kind of trouble his reckless brother could be getting into anymore. It was liberating, to be sure, but one of the scariest aspects of this journey. He wouldn't be beside his older brother; for the first time Alphonse was traveling completely alone.

Well, mostly alone.

Zampano, Jerso and Alphonse were stepping out a few hours later. Both chimeras moved stiffly and rubbed their backsides. "Damn!" Zampano grumbled. "Those seats were hard!"

Jerso was quick to respond. "You can say that again. I've been dying for some fresh air."

Alphonse barely noticed the seats, and he wasn't sure why. He just shrugged and turned to his two companions. He smiled. "I hope you two are ready for a long walk."

"Huh? Why?" Jerso straightened his back.

"Because we're walking straight to Xerxes. It's our first stop, smack in the middle of the desert that separates Amestris and Xing." He answered as if it was a grand announcement.

"The desert? Isn't that gonna be really hot? What about water?" Zampano demanded.

Al heaved his suitcase up as one of the train workers handed out the bags from the cargo hold.  
"Normally it would be a problem, but you guys forget, I'm an alchemist. I can easily make a well when we need it."

"Oh, right."

Both chimeras retrieved their own hefty backpacks as well. When Alphonse saw they were ready he said, "Alright, let's go!" he seemed to hop as he turned around and walked at a very energetic pace.

"What's got him so chipper?" Zampano mused. Jerso shrugged and they both followed.

It was a difficult trek, one filled with extreme heat, lots of sweat and exhaustion. Alphonse only further confused his companions as the boy seemed hardly bothered at all while they both panted. To Al, it was a slight discomfort, but one he wasn't that bothered with. In fact, he realized he wasn't really bothered by any unwanted sensations, even painful ones. He had tended to savour any and all feelings since he got his body back. So much so that he wasn't even really irritated by the desert. However, the heat still affected him as it did to his two bodyguards.

Besides, the trip was made much easier through regular water breaks when plants were discovered (that's where Alphonse was sure to find water underground) and shelters made of transmuted, solidified sand, and blankets for the height of midday. Alchemy was a vital tool for their journey.

A few days and nights passed before Al finally spotted where they were headed; the ruins of Xerxes. His eyes widened at the few little dots in the distance when he realized what it was. There were just a few tall buildings and some smaller dots in front. Alphonse realized they must have been big if he could already see them from this far away. His excitement from earlier started to return.

A gold sky hung over the mysterious desert.

Hundreds of years had worn the bases of the sandstone pillars, yet they still reached high above the boy's head. The sun was low in the sky, and the pillars threw dark shadows across the courtyard that he stood in. The floor was smooth in some places, but covered in sand everywhere else. Despite this, Al could see the shape of a Xerxian insignia on its surface. It had multiple diagrams that resembled alchemy around the edges, yet wasn't really the alchemy he knew. In the centre was a large gold lion. Al thought it a very appropriate symbol for the kingdom of Xerxes. They were a proud, powerful people as far as he knew, from the books he read.  
He realized it was probably that same pride that had brought them down.  
There were hundreds of houses stretching out for miles from where he stood, all empty and silent. It all suddenly felt very wrong. This kind of place shouldn't be so silent.

"Hey! Are you okay, Al?"  
Jerso tapped his shoulder. Al suddenly remembered why they were there in the first place.  
"Sorry, I guess my thoughts got lost for a moment there. Anyway, I figured that we should start our research where alchemy began." Al said.

Jerso shrugged. "Sounds good to me, though this place is kind of creepy. My animal instincts are telling me something evil happened here."

Al sighed. "You aren't wrong. What happened here was what nearly happened to Amestris."  
"You don't mean the Promised Day!?" Jerso said.

Al just gave him a sad glance then started walking towards the centre of the city, hands deep in his pockets. The chimeras looked at each other awkwardly before following.  
The desert sun set quickly, and the shadows of Al and the chimeras grew longer as they walked.  
Al took out his travel journal, taking notes on anything that looked interesting. There were several diagrams etched on solid stone, often broken and cracked from hundreds of years of exposure. The Alchemist copied whatever glyphs he found useful or interesting. The chimeras only followed quietly. That is, until Zampano the quillboar chimera smelled something.

"Alphonse! I don't think we're completely alone." Both chimeras became very wary, looking around for any sign of a threat. Alphonse was slightly surprised, he just looked because he was curious. He packed away his journal, sliding his hands back into his pockets.

"Over there!" Zampano pointed towards a wall just a few metres away. Al saw it as well: the shift of a dark shape along the wall. It had disappeared as soon as it came, so they had no way of telling what threat was in store for them. Both chimeras were on the verge of morphing into their animal forms. "Hey, we know you're there, show yourself!" Jerso shouted.

To their horror, Alphonse walked forward to investigate the thing for himself. He looked behind the wall and squealed like a little boy about to be given a present. He disappeared from the chimera's sight before they could stop him. To their astonishment, they heard him laughing. He came out with of all things that could be in his arms: a cat.

"I think you guys take your job of being my 'bodyguards' a little too seriously."

Both chimeras became visibly relieved and more than a little embarrassed.

"You can't blame us Alphonse, we didn't know what it could've been." Jerso said.

Jerso and Zampano realized Alphonse wasn't listening at all.

Alphonse had wanted for so long to be able to run his fingers through a cat's fur. It was as heavenly as he imagined it to be, in all those years he had been the armour. On his list of things to do once he got his body back, it was near the top. The cat was black with patches of white, with one over its left eye. It also had very bright, reflective yellow-green eyes. They stared at Al with slight curiosity.

The cat suddenly perked up, its ears perking up and tilting to the left.. "What is it?" Al looked around, then realised someone was running towards them - a very small someone, with red eyes.

"Hey Gypsy, where'd you go this time?" She then looked up to see him. Her eyes widened. She froze immediately and quietly uttered an "Oh".

Al looked back at her awkwardly for a few silent moments then said in uncertainty: "Uh... is this your cat?"

She looked increasingly nervous. "Um, you're not a ghost, are you?"

Al chuckled. "What? What makes you think that?"

"You're one of the gold people," she said so quietly he could barely hear her. "They say the gold people that used to live here sometimes haunt the place. I thought they were just scary stories." Her feet shuffled back and her face was hidden by the dark.

Al suddenly lit up with understanding. "Ooh, you think i'm a Xerxian. I guess I do look like them. I'm not a ghost. Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He gave the small Ishvalan girl a reassuring smile. He suddenly remembered the time his brother told him about his visit to this very place, how Ed was ambushed by some Ishbalan refugees.

The girl started to relax slightly. "So you're not a ghost?"

"Definitely." Al nodded.  
The cat jumped out of his arms without warning and meandered towards the girl. "I guess that answers my earlier question." Al commented to himself. The chimeras rushed in; both were very surprised to see a girl. "I thought this place was deserted!" Jerso exclaimed.

"Not quite, some Ishbalans came here to get away from Amestris after the war." Al explained. He held a hand out to the girl, crouching slightly. "My name is Alphonse Elric, what's yours?"

She grabbed his hand and said "Erica is my name, Mr Elric. Do you like cats? It's amazing how you were able to hold Gypsy like that, let alone lay a hand on him. You were even able to pick him up!"

"Yes, you could say that I like cats, very much actually. This guy seems pretty friendly to me."

Erica seemed absolutely shocked.

"I have no idea how he got to like you so quickly! Usually, he hates people. Unless they have food... do you have food?"

"No, my companions have all the food in their own packs."

Erica was now looking especially puzzled. She looked at Gypsy with accusing eyes. The kitten didn't seem to notice, and continued slinking around and between Al's legs. It let out a soft purr, which sent Erica into even more of a shock. She stared at him with wide eyes.

After a few moments, she said "Would you like to... keep the cat?"

The boy couldn't believe his ears. "Really? Would you give him away," he placed his hands on his face, "to_ ME_?" He let out a short squee under his breath.

Erica rolled her eyes. "It's no hassle, Mr Elric, I'd be more than happy to. I don't think Gypsy wants me around anyway. You see, there's just-"  
She was interrupted by a loud squeal of joy as Al cradled the feline in his arms.

The cat looked slightly annoyed but still didn't make an attempt to get away. Erica finally just decided to accept this strange turn of events. Cats could be such an enigma sometimes.  
"Are you really sure you want to give him to me?" Al asked, still not quite daring to believe it.  
Erica laughed. "It's okay, I've got lots of other cats. I like them, too. Most of the time, they like me back, except for this one."

Al smiled in the most radiant, content way. "Just you wait until brother hears about _this, _Gypsy."  
The chimeras were now very confused. "It's just a cat." Zampano dared to say. Al shot him a deadly glare that could melt solid rock. Zampano quickly backed off.

"Would you like to come with me?" Erica interjected.

"What do you mean?" Jerso asked the girl.

"I mean you guys should come meet my family and the rest of us Ishbalans. Usually we don't like outsiders but... I dunno, you guys seem okay."

"Okay, I don't see why we shouldn't." Zampano agreed. Jerso nodded to his companion.

Al was already lost in his own world. Erica poked him to attention. "Hey dummy, you're going to my place." She beckoned for him to join her and the chimeras as they set out for the town. "Oh, okay." Al murmured. he finally stopped stroking the cat and got up to follow.

"Hey mom! Gypsy found some strangers," Erica shouted as they approached her house. She ran ahead to the front door. Just as she said, they appeared to have more cats than just Gypsy. There was one perched in the window, and another dozing on the floor next to Erica's mother.  
"Strangers, Erica? You should know better than to..." She saw them as she came to the door and was immediately surprised. These weren't just any strangers.

"Hello miss, my name is Alphonse Elric, and these are my traveling companions, Jerso and Zampano." He pointed to each of them in turn.

"Hello Mr Elric, I'm Alsafi. What brings you across the desert?"

"We're here to do research. For alchemy."

"Alchemy? Well, that is why people come here - usually. They're often surprised to find us here."

Alphonse' stomach dropped when he remembered how the Ishbalans viewed alchemy. "I'm sorry miss, I forgot, your people..."

Alsafi smiled. "Don't worry. It's true that we don't have much of a fondness for that art, but we won't take offence. We have had our full share of conflict."

"Okay." Al still felt terrible despite the woman's reassurances.

"We can give you beds for the night, and supper if you so wish. How long will you be spending here?"

"Only a few days, then it's on to Xing. We've got food of our own, you don't have to feed us."

Erica explained, "We'll set you up in one of the empty houses that aren't in ruins. We'll bring some blankets and lanterns."

"Thank you, you're so kind."

"its truly no trouble young man, we are merely performing our duty."

Gypsy was back again, and brushing against Al's legs.

"Oh, has Gypsy finally made a friend?" the Ishbalan women looked delighted. "My little girl adopted a litter of kittens a few months back. They are all very good cats, except for Gypsy. He's just always been a wild one, biting and wandering all over the place."

"I decided to give Mr. Elric Gypsy, seeing as he's the first man Gypsy has liked. He'll be happier with the gold man." Erica said to her mom.  
Al was surprised by the nickname. He wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Excellent. I was getting worried for that cat. If you're happy with having him, that is."

Erica answered first "Oh yes mom, he really loves cats, I'd even say more than me, and I didn't think that was possible!"

Al grinned at the very enthusiastic girl. "I promise to take good care of him, okay?"

She looked quizzically at him. "I already knew that, or else I wouldn't have given him to you..."

-  
Later that day they were in their shelter for the time they would spend in Xerxes. It was just sandstone with a dirt floor, with floor pads and blankets as beds. That night, Al wrote his first letter by lantern light.

Dear Edward,

Hi brother, how has the trip to the west gone for you? It was smooth for us. Make sure to go by Milos and say hi to Julia. I hope they've been going okay since we left them. I wish I could've said hi myself, but instead i'll ask you to say hi for me if this letter gets to you in time.

I'm in Xerxes now, and its interesting to say the least. It's just miles upon miles of empty houses. It makes me sad to think about what happened to them, even more now that we know the connection. I ran into a little ishbalan girl who thought I was a Xerxian ghost! she described them as "the gold people", she even called me a "gold man" later when I convinced her I wasn't a ghost. It made me realize something. you and I are the last surviving descendants of an extinct civilization, the one that began alchemy.

Weird huh?

The ishbalans i've met here are really nice, they've given us a place to stay. we'll hang around here for a few days to learn what we can of Xerxian alchemy that could be useful. I've inserted a summary of notes i've made today. i'll see what you make of it.

Good luck brother,

Alphonse

PS. I got a cat.


End file.
